398 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [12:9— Dec, 1916 



predatory mammals except the cat, and the indigenous short-eared 

 owl was exterminated years ago. Therefore the cat is practically 

 the only enemy with which the gulls and terns have to contend. 

 Mr. Arthur Brigham of Boston wrote me in 19 14 that the cats 

 had greatly depleted the number of the birds, and an agent of the 

 Nantucket Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 

 reported the same year that in a brief search he found fully a 

 thousand nest sites with the remains of parent birds, egg shells, 

 and young scattered about them. Whether the cats increased 

 or not we do not know, but during the summer of 19 14 it was easy 

 to gather a bushel of wings of the dead birds. The warden killed 

 three cats n 19 13, and may have destroyed a few in 19 14, but 

 Deputy Fish and Game Commissioner William Day went to the 

 island in the winter, and, with a good dog, found and shot seven 

 cats, one of them a female heavy with young ; another cat was found 

 dead. Mr. Day believes he has killed every cat there, and the dog 

 could find no more. This shows clearly how terribly destructive 

 a few stray cats can be among breeding birds, and how they kill, 

 not merely to eat, but for the love of killing. Since the above 

 was written Mr. W. L. McAtee of the Biological Survey has in- 

 formed me that more cats have been let loose on the island by 

 fishermen, and that the number of birds was much reduced by 

 them in 191 5. 



Confining or Tethering the Cat. — "A cat may be tethered to an 

 overhead wire in pleasant weather by means of a line and a snap 

 lock. This gives outdoor conditions, allows the cat to exercise by 

 moving back and forth, and probably will prevent it from catching 

 birds, except possibly such young as may flutter in its way. There 

 should be a stop near each end of the wire so that cat cannot 

 climb or become entangled. Both these expedients are feasible, 

 and many cats now are kept through the summer in confinement, 

 or on a leash in fine weather. 



Keeping the Cat Indoors at Night. — "Most important of all, the 

 cat should be kept in the house or some building, cage, or pen at 

 night. Cats which hunt outdoors at night contract colds and 

 diseases, and destroy more birds and game and fewer house rats 

 and mice than at any other time. About 90 per cent of the cats 

 are allowed to roam at night. The mother bird is slain on her 

 nest by the unseen marauder or the young are taken when they 

 first begin to stir at early dawn. 



